Crossword Book Award celebrates Indian writing

Mumbai, Nov 30 (IANS) It was a literary night at the National Centre for the Performing Arts when authors of all genres arrived at the 14th Raymond Crossword Book Award here.

Lyricist Gulzar bestowed the Lifetime Achievement award to author Ruskin Bond at the 14th Raymond Crossword Book Award on Tuesday.

In fiction category, it was ‘Scion of Ikshvaku’ by Amish Tripathi which won the award in the popular fiction category. Twinkle Khanna’s ‘Mrs Funnybones’ took the popular non-fiction award.

‘Playing It My Way’ by Sachin Tendulkar (co-author Boria Majumdar) was given the award for best biography while Radhakrishnan Pillai bagged the popular award in Business and Management category for his book ‘Chanakya in You’.

Health and fitness book ‘Body Goddess’ written by Payal Gidwani got the award in the health and wellness category while it was Roopa Pai who was awarded for children’s writing for her book ‘Gita for Children’.

Amitav Ghosh was awarded the Crossword Book Award – jury in the fiction for his ‘Flood of Fire’ while in the non-fiction category it was ‘Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India’ by Akshaya Mukul which bagged the jury award for best non-fiction.

‘The Sun That Rose From the Earth’ by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi was given the jury award for the best translated book and Ranjit Lal won the jury award in the children’s book category for his writing ‘Our Nana was a Nutcase’.

The evening also saw the launch of the coffee table book, ‘The Benevolent Narmada’, featuring photographs by Hari Mahidhar and script by Vithal Nadkarni.

Accepting the award, author Ruskin Bond, addressing the event through a video conference, said: “I’m told, Gulzar is coming to give me the award. I’m 82 years old now, and don’t travel around much. But it is great to receive this award from him and from Crossword Bookstores.”

Author Ranjit Lal, after receiving the award, said: “This recognition is special because ‘Our Nana was a Nutcase’ is not an ordinary story. Nana is actually bringing up his daughter’s four children. There is a brilliant role reversal, when the children witness their Nana’s gradual decline with Alzheimer’s, come to terms with it and slowly realise that it is they who have to be the caregivers for their Nana.”

“It feels wonderful to win the Popular Award because it means the book has truly resonated with young readers, which is what every writer truly wishes for her book. Children’s literature, in India as everywhere, needs all the help it can get to reach a wider audience,” author Roopa Pai said, after winning the award in children’s book category.

Author Amish Tripathi said: “It is an honour to receive the popular Crossword Book Award in the fiction category for the book ‘Scion of Ikshvaku’. It is an award decided by the readers. It is the job of a writer to write a book but it is only when it’s picked by readers, liked by readers that makes its true purpose.”